Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-08-05


/ should know what Good might be talking
about; he talks about SO many things.
well. it was about little plan that l
have formed-namely, that if you were
agreeable we should pack up our traps and
go off to Africa on another expedition"
Ifairly jumped at his words. You don't
say sou / cried.
YES do, though, and so does Good;
don't you, Goods"
Rather said the gentleman.
Listen. old fellow" went on Sir Henry,
with considerable animation of manner.
''Im tired of it, too, dead tired of doing
nothing except play the squire in a country
that is sick of squires. For year or more
I haze been getting as restless as an old
elephant who scents danger. l am always
dreaming of Kukuanaland and Gagool and
King Solomon's Mines. | can assure you
[ have become the victim of almost unac-
countable craving. | am sick of shooting
pheasants and cartridges and want to have
a 90 at some large game again. There.
you know the feeling That year we spent
together up in Kukuanaland seems to me
worth all the other years OF my life put to-
gether. ! dare say that am fool for my
pains. but / can't help it; : long TO go, and,
what is more, | mean to go" He paused,
and then went on again. And, aftec all,
why should l not go? l have no wife or
parent, no chick or child TO keep me- If
anything happens to me the baronetcy will
90 TO my brother George and his boy, as it
would ultimately do in any case. | am of
no Importance to any one"
''Ah,'' | said, Thought you would come
to that sooner or later. And now, Good
what is your reason for wanting to trek;
have you got one?"
II have" said Coed, solemnly. Il never
do anything without reason; and it isn't
a Iady-at least, if it is, it's several"
looked at him again. Good is so over
powerngly frivolous. What is it," Isa!d
We'll, il you really want to know, though
I'd rather net speak of adelicate and strict
" personal matter, I'll tell you. I'm get
tine 800 fat"
shut up, Good, " said Sir Henry "And
uow, QuGrtermain, tell us where do you
propose going to-"
lit my pipe, which had gone ont, before
answering.
Have you people ever heard Of Mt.
Kcnia>' | asked
Don't know the place, " said Good.
"Djj you ever hear Of the Island OF
Lmnu:" | asked again
NO. Stop, Misunderstanding place about
three hundred mile north Of T:.nzihar."
Yes. Now listen. What have to pro
pose is his. That we go 70 Lamu, and
thence make our way about two hundred
and fifty miles iuia.d to Mt kcuil; from
Mt kenia Is" inland 10 1T. I.eaakisera
another two lUudce..E.iI.@,u or tAcIeaboUts,
beyond Which 10 waite man has to the
best of my belief. cytE been; AID then, if
we get SO far, right on into the unknown
interior. What do you say to that, my
hcartics:"
It's a big order" said Sir Henry, re
hectively.
you are right" | answered, 1T is; but
| take it that we are all three of lis in
search of Il big order We want q
change Of scene, and we are likely to get
one-a thorough change. All my life 1
have lOnged to visit those parts, and | mean
to do it before | die. Ny poor boys death
has broken the last link between me and
civilization, and Pm off to my native wilds.
And now I'll tell you another thing; and
that is, that for years and years | have
heard rlmorS of a great white race. chat is
supposed to have its home somewhere up
in this direction. and | have Il mind to see
if there is any truth in them. If you fell
lows like to come, well and good; if not, I'll
go alone"
Pm your man. though don't believe in
your white race" said Sir Henry Curtis,
rising and placing his arm upon my shout
der
Ditto" remarked Good; "I'll go into
tyui of all Lot -
Mt. Kenia and the other place with an UNI
pronounceable name, and look for a white
race that does not exist. It's all one to me. :"
when do you propose to start2' asked
Sir Henry.
This day month" answered, "by the
British India steamboat; and don't You be
so certain that things don't exist because
you do not happen to hear of them Re
member King Solomon's Mines.
Some fourteen weeks or so had passed
since the date of this conversation, and
this history continues on its way in very
different surroundings
After much deliber;eion and inquiry we
came TO the conclusion that our best start
ing-pOint for Mt. Kenia would be from the
ncighborhood of the mouth of the Tana
river, and not from Mombasa place over
one hundred miles nearer Zanzibar. This
conclusion we arrived at from information
given to Us by German trader whom we
met upon the steamer at Alden. | think
that he was the dirtiest German ever met;
but he was a good fellow, and gave us a
great deal of valuable information
"Lamu," said he, you goes to Lamu-Oh
~ beautiful place. aud he turned up his
fat face and beamed with mild rapture.
cone year and half live there and never
change my shirt-never at all"
And SO it came tn pass that on arriving
nj the island we disemharkcd with all our
goods and chattels, and, not knowing
where to go, marched boldly up to the
house of Her Maiesty's Consul, where we
were most Hospitality received
lamu is Il very curious place, but the
things which stand out most clearly in my
memory in connection with it are its eN-
Ceeding dirtincSs and its smells These
last are simply awful Just below the
Consulate is the beach, or, rather, mud
bank that is called beach 1t is left quite
bare at low tide, and serves as q repository
for all the filth, offal, and refuse of the
town Here it is, too, that the women
come to bury COCoanUtS in the mud, leaving
them there till the outer husk is quite rot
ten, when they dig them up again and use
the GbcrS to make mats with. and for var
i0us other purposes. As this process has
been going on Tor generations, the c0ndi.
ton of the beach can be better IMAGINED
than described. | have smelied many evil
odors in the course of my life. but the CON
Ceutrated essence of stencil that arose from
that beach nj ann rs V-p sat il, the IN 1oD-
light night-not under, but on. our friend
the C0nsurs hospitable rOof-and shifted
it, makes the remembrance Of them very
poor and faint No wonder people get
fever in I.amu And vet the place was not
without a cert-jn quaintueSs ana charm Of
its own, though ibly-iudced probably
it was one which would quickly pail.
well, where are you gentlemen steering
for?" asked our friend, the hospitable Con
sui, rs we smoked our pipes after dinner.
I'VE propose to go to Mt. Kenia and then
on to Mt. Lekakiscra, - answered Sir Henry.
"Quartcrmain has got hold of some yarn
about there being white race up in the
unknown territories beyond
The Consul looked interest ted, and an
Swcced that he had heard something of
thu tNn
What have you heards" I asked.
ooh. not much. All know about it is
that Il year or so ago l got letter from
Mackenzie, the Scotch missionary, whose
''G;joH. The Highlands is placed at the
highest navigable point of the Tana river,
in which he said something about it"
Have you the letters" | asked.
NO, destroyed it; but remember that
he said that n man had arrived Mt his sta